Pages

Monday, January 11, 2016

Horror Screenings are Alive and Well in the Bay Area!

I’ve said it before and my mind still has not changed; San Francisco just never sleeps! And what do insomniacs almost always enjoy? Movies! So let’s see what we have going on in our beloved bay area theatres this week.

First off, I have some bitter sweet movie news: The San Francisco Alamo Drafthouse is starting their signature Terror Tuesday screenings this week! Unfortunately, the first screening is already sold out. So the lesson here is to get your tickets early, and make sure you sign up for their rewards program to be rewarded for your patronage. It won’t be long before you work your way up to getting invites to free screenings, birthday tickets, and free food. You can find the whole list of the rewards here. The way it works is you accrue a point for every screening you buy tickets for (regardless of how many tickets) as long as you log in before completing your purchase. And judging from their lineup, we’ll definitely be regulars.

The Drafthouse is kicking off Terror Tuesdays with Don’t Go Into The Woods (1981). If you were lucky enough to get a ticket, your show starts at 9:45 on Tuesday the 12th.

"Young campers trek through the mountains, while someone is slaughtering tourists in the dense forest."

But don't worry, there are still plenty of other options for those of us who weren't quick enough.

The Balboa Theatre has your Wednesday covered with this great double feature

"While on shore leave, sailor Johnny Drake (Dennis Hopper) becomes enamored of Mora (Linda Lawson), a young woman who works as a "mermaid" at a sideshow attraction. But for Mora it's no act. She actually believes that she really is a mermaid who is destined to murder men on the night of a full moon. Drake is still captivated by the mysterious woman, however, and begins to suspect that her boss, Capt. Murdock (Gavin Muir), may have something to do with Mora's murderous thoughts."

The Castro Theatre has a few things up their sleeves too, although they're leaning more towards sci-fi/noir. Tonight and tomorrow, they will be screening double features, both of which will include The Martian, along with:

Total Recall (1990)

Screening tonight at 4:50pm and 9:35pm

"Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a bored construction worker in the year 2084 who dreams of visiting the colonized Mars. He visits "Rekall," a company that plants false memories into people's brains, in order to experience the thrill of Mars without having to travel there. But something goes wrong during the procedure; Quaid discovers that his entire life is actually a false memory and that the people who implanted it in his head now want him dead."

Then on Tuesday, The Martian will be playing with

Ghosts of Mars (2001)

Screening Tuesday at 5:05pm and 9:35pm

"Long inhabited by human settlers, the Red Planet has become the manifest destiny of an over-populated Earth. Nearly 640,000 people now live and work all over Mars, mining the planet for its abundant natural resources. But one of those mining operations has uncovered a deadly mother lode: a long-dormant Martian civilization whose warriors are systematically taking over the bodies of human intruders."

Then on Wednesday, The Castro will have another awesome double feature:

Blade Runner (1982/2007)

Screening at 7pm

"Deckard (Harrison Ford) is forced by the police Boss (M. Emmet Walsh) to continue his old job as Replicant Hunter. His assignment: eliminate four escaped Replicants from the colonies who have returned to Earth. Before starting the job, Deckard goes to the Tyrell Corporation and he meets Rachel (Sean Young), a Replicant girl he falls in love with."